"Hiss... Fairy, you're so cold!" Tang Xiangyin rubbed her palms together and leaned closer to Yao Ranran.
Zhou Lili, however, slyly pulled herself further away.
"Hiss! Now it's even colder!" Tang Xiangyin's lips trembled as she looked across at Shen Yuefu.
No wonder it felt like the temperature had dropped so sharply—sitting right across from them was that human block of ice. He was about to freeze Fairy Yao solid into an ice sculpture!
Without hesitation, Tang Xiangyin turned and rushed to Zhou Lili, clinging to her tightly. The two huddled together in a ball.
Yao Ranran watched their antics with puzzlement. Was it really that cold?
"How many spirit stones do you want?" Shen Yuefu's voice was cold as frost.
Yao Ranran turned her head away, and at the same time, Han Huijun spoke.
"One hundred million spirit stones!"
"One hundred thousand spirit stones!"
"..."
The air froze in silence.
Shen Yuefu frowned slightly. "You haven't settled on an amount yet?"
"We have!" Yao Ranran and Han Huijun spoke in unison.
Both froze, then looked at each other in surprise.
Shen Yuefu asked again, "Then how many spirit stones did you finally agree upon?"
"One hundred million spirit stones!"
"One hundred thousand spirit stones!"
"..."
Yao Ranran's eyes widened. "Sect Master Han, what do you mean by this?"
"Yao Ranran, you're trying to raise the price at the last minute?"
Both voices overlapped again, and they glared furiously at each other.
"One hundred million spirit stones—why don't you just go rob someone? You contributed one small merit and now you think you can take a hundred million spirit stones and walk away from Wuxiang Sect? Yao Ranran, you're far too greedy!"
Han Huijun's brows shot up in anger. At last, he understood Yao Ranran's little game.
So that was why she had kept avoiding him all this time. She had been waiting for this moment, trying to bleed Wuxiang Sect dry and then live her carefree life of cultivation.
So that's how it was, "Yao Ranran. You really had seen through mortal attachments— even Shen Changlao's handsome face couldn't keep you here!"
And once a woman turned calculating, her tricks came one after another. He had nearly fallen into her trap!
"What? What merit are you even talking about, Sect Master…" Yao Ranran looked genuinely baffled.
Tang Xiangyin quietly edged closer and whispered, "Fairy, we sent you a message about the ten pieces of millennial spiritual material. Didn't you get it?"
Yao Ranran froze for a second. She hadn't received anything!
What about ten pieces of millennial spiritual material?
Chirp chirp!
A bird swooped down from the eaves and landed on Yao Ranran's shoulder. Tied around its slender ankle was a familiar bamboo tube.
Yao Ranran fell silent. Well, she had the message now.
Tang Xiangyin's eyes widened at the bird.
Zhou Lili stepped forward awkwardly. "It seems it kept snowing these days, and it didn't want to fly out…"
Yao Ranran quietly read through the message.
"What are you three whispering about?" Han Huijun wasn't in the mood to eavesdrop on women's chatter. His brows were heavy with impatience.
"A hundred million spirit stones we cannot give you. One hundred thousand spirit stones is this sect master's bottom line!"
His voice rang out loudly.
Yao Ranran lowered her eyes, her gaze flickering over the paper slip.
So the ten millennial materials were gone, and Han Huijun was trying to make an exchange. But then… why had he tried to strangle Zhou Lili earlier?
As she fell into thought, Shen Yuefu was also pondering.
A demand as outrageous as one hundred million…
Could she really mean to leave Wuxiang Sect?
No. This was a ploy, a way to capture by letting go.
Shen Yuefu quietly drew back the icy frost from around his body. Strangely, his heart felt much calmer.
The courtyard slowly returned to its normal warmth. Tang Xiangyin and Zhou Lili stopped clinging to each other, their cheeks flushed with color again.
"Well? Have you decided? This sect master doesn't have time to indulge your nonsense!" Han Huijun suddenly raised his voice.
Yao Ranran lifted her head and looked at him steadily. Then she extended one finger.
Han Huijun's eyelid twitched. What now? Wasn't that trick enough already?
He was just about to snap when Yao Ranran said lightly, "One million spirit stones. I will leave Wuxiang Sect forever and never involve myself in this matter again."
"…"
The blaze of fury inside Han Huijun was slapped away by the softness of her tone. He drew in a sharp breath.
"One hundred thousand spirit stones. Not one more!"
Yao Ranran frowned. "One million spirit stones, and a storage ring. I will leave Wuxiang Sect for good!"
"One hundred thousand spirit stones, not a single one extra!"
"One million spirit stones and a storage ring, not a single one less!"
"One hundred thousand spirit stones…"
"One million spirit stones…"
The onlookers glanced left and right as the two bargained back and forth, spittle flying.
Shen Yuefu's expression was calm, detached.
So this was it. She had argued this long only to throw out a price the sect could never accept. Clearly, she was just searching for an excuse to stay.
Since he hadn't changed his attitude toward her, she could only use such methods to remain.
"One hundred thousand spirit stones and a storage ring. If you refuse, then I will punish you for defying your superior and expel you from the sect immediately!"
Han Huijun's temper finally burst after arguing this long without resolution.
"One million spirit stones…" Yao Ranran began again.
"Enough! Someone, expel her from the sect at once!" Han Huijun raised his hand and summoned the sect master's token.
The golden token gleamed brilliantly in his grasp.
At that moment, Yao Ranran quickly changed her tune. "But one million spirit stones isn't set in stone! Surely we can negotiate reasonably!"
Han Huijun gave a cold snort and tucked the token back at his waist. "So, you're accepting one hundred thousand spirit stones and a storage ring?"
Shen Yuefu, who had been about to leave in annoyance, paused mid-step.
Yao Ranran said, "If Sect Master can only give me one hundred thousand spirit stones, then I demand the storage ring be replaced with the storage bracelet my mother gave me."
"You know very well that bracelet was stolen by those… thieves. How can I possibly get it back in such a short time?"
Han Huijun narrowed his eyes.
Now he was starting to suspect her true intentions.
With his back to them, Shen Yuefu's eyes flickered.
As expected, she would not leave. He was certain now.
There was no need to waste any more time here.
No matter how she acted tonight, tomorrow he would have Han Huijun arrange new lodgings for her.
Shen Yuefu flicked his wide sleeves, ready to take his leave.
"There's no need to retrieve it immediately. As long as Sect Master promises to return the bracelet within a year, I'll take the one hundred thousand spirit stones tomorrow and leave Wuxiang Sect!"
Yao Ranran's voice was firm, every word ringing with finality.
Everyone in the courtyard was stunned. None of them had expected her to be so resolute.
Han Huijun was dazed for a moment, disbelief in his tone. "You mean it?"
A year. For cultivation, too short. But to recover a bracelet? Easy.
Yao Ranran smiled. "Of course. Not a word is false."
After all, staying here wasn't a long-term plan.
Tang Xiangyin had a special status—just a slice of her flesh could sell for ten million spirit stones. Why should she waste her time wrangling over a mere million with Han Huijun?
They were cultivators. She had to broaden her view, broaden her horizons.